Lent: Spiritual "Spring Cleaning"

When we think of Lent, what are some of the things that come to mind? Perhaps we are excited because we are tired of seeing green and enjoy the new purple hues that decorate the churches. Maybe we look forward to the opportunity to try something new and this season gives us a definite timeline in which to work.

Sometimes, though, I think it is tempting to enter into Lent with a sense of, “Do I really have to?” It is a challenging season. Fasting, praying and almsgiving are not always seen as a recipe for good times. Meditating daily on the gruesome crucifixion is painful.

However, when we take a look at Lent, what time of year does it come? Around spring time — a time when seemingly dead trees, shrubs, grass and other plants spring into new life.
Also attributed to spring is, everyone’s favorite, spring cleaning. A good spring cleaning involves going through one’s house and throwing out and giving away what is no longer needed then meticulously cleaning every nook and cranny. It gets messy, but at the end the house feels like new.

Likewise, we can look at Lent as a season of spiritual spring cleaning. A time when we look within ourselves and see what kind of things we have accumulated that we don’t need, or in the case of sinful behaviors, things we should get rid of. Through an honest and thorough examination of conscience and confession, we can root out all the dusty areas of our soul that we have neglected this past year and clean them up. Fasting and other penances can be likened to some powerful cleaning agents and scrub brushes that take away the remaining residue. Prayer and almsgiving are like opening up the windows and letting the fresh air in. After all, too much attention on oneself gets a little stuffy and suffocating.

Once our spiritual spring cleaning is completed, we are all the more ready to welcome our Risen Lord and Savior back into our lives in a new and refreshing way.

May this season of Lent be a blessed time of Spiritual cleaning and renewal for all of us!